


Care

by labocat



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Hand Feeding, M/M, Picnics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-12-09 11:51:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11668578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/labocat/pseuds/labocat
Summary: When Yusuke's growling stomach becomes a problem in Mementos, Akira takes matters into his own hands.





	Care

**Author's Note:**

  * For [EvilMuffins](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvilMuffins/gifts).



Akira noticed it the next time they went into Mementos.

To be honest, he’d noticed it earlier than that, but the pattern hadn’t come together until the third straight entry into Mementos where he’d heard Yusuke’s stomach growling and subsequently noted that Yusuke’s attacks seemed less forceful and less powerful than they had previously. Even Goemon’s appearance and attacks seemed weaker, somehow. 

At the next safe space, Akira checked in with the group, aiming his hints heavily at Yusuke. Everyone, draped over the waiting room chairs and benches, responded, to a man, that they were fine. Even Yusuke, whose stomach Akira could hear growling even from where he was standing at the opposite side of the waiting room. There was little for it but to sigh and continue for a couple more levels before feigning tiredness and heading back. He was surprised Morgana hadn’t suggested it first, citing that they all needed to sleep. 

Once back at the surface, Akira slowed his step to walk alongside Yusuke. “Want to go grab a bite to eat?” He tried to keep his voice casual, to suggest that this was nothing more than a post-mission hang-out. He’d asked to Yusuke to hang out enough times outside of Phantom Thief business that this wouldn’t be weird. He hoped. There was a flare of guilt for hanging back and pitching his voice low so that no one else would hear them, but if his instincts were correct, this would go best if it were only the two of them in the first place.

As he suspected, Yusuke ducked his head slightly at the question. “No, I ate before we headed into Mementos. I am quite fine, but perhaps one of the others would want to go with you?”

Akira had to hold back the urge to either shake Yusuke or clasp a hand to his face. “Yusuke...I could hear your stomach growling the entire time we were in Mementos,” he blurted out, instantly wishing he’d picked any of the other options that all had sounded smoother in his head. 

Yusuke, to his credit, didn’t deny it, but simply went silent, not looking at Akira or anywhere but straight in front of him. Taking a stab in the dark, remembering all the comments Yusuke had made about buying paints instead of rice, Akira did his best to feign nonchalance again, adding, “I’ve really been craving that new okonomiyaki place that opened up near the station. And since I picked the place, it’ll be my treat, since I’ll be dragging you along with my whims.” He clapped Yusuke on the back, quickly removing his hand before Yusuke could think anything else of it. It was just a casual request with a thinly-veiled ulterior motive of making sure his teammate wasn’t going hungry and thus suffering further in Mementos. That was all. That was _all_.

Finally, after too long, Yusuke nodded. “I suppose I’m not so full that I couldn’t join you for a meal to keep you company if that was what you wanted.”

Akira tried to tell himself that the relief he felt was merely as for a friend and teammate and that the warmth he felt watching Yusuke eat his okonomiyaki was from his own piece of okonomiyaki. He’d certainly watched Yusuke blow on his own piece for long enough that he got so distracted that he forgot he hadn’t and burned his own mouth instead. 

____

 

The next time, he tried to cut the problem off at its source. They’d found one of the Treasure shadows in a corner of Mementos, and with his pockets bulging, Akira had tried to pass it off to the other Phantom Thieves, trying to couch it as a job well done and a team effort and that it would be strange for him to come home with so much money so often. He’d offered it to everyone but instinctively moved towards Yusuke first, who had wavered between reflexively reaching for the money and shrinking away from it before eventually stepping back, turning it down. Akira was sure his own face mirrored the confusion on Ryuji’s as Yusuke shook his head further. “As our leader, you’re the one who truly earned it, in my eyes. I merely stood back.”

A grumble of assent from Ryuji’s direction told Akira that he wouldn’t have much luck trying to press it onto any of the others to try to get Yusuke to join in. Fine, two could play at that game.

“In that case,” he said, turning to make sure he was facing everyone, placing Yusuke the furthest into his peripheral vision, “we should all go out for a celebratory meal together. We finally cleared this section, we’ve got enough money to be suspicious, and we haven’t been out for a meal together since Futaba joined. I think we’ve earned it, don’t you guys think?”

Akira tried resolutely not to turn towards Yusuke until he’d made eye contact with everyone else, but still ended up holding Yusuke’s gaze the longest, even through the excited chatter of deciding where to go. The conflict he saw in Yusuke’s eyes worried him, but he pushed it aside as Yusuke finally nodded and turned to walk with everyone else, pitching the idea for a _nagashi soumen_ restaurant that had opened recently and shooting down Ryuji’s suggestion of a restaurant where they could catch their own fish for dinner as inelegant.

They ended up at yakiniku, one with an all-you-can-eat menu. Akira knew he’d gone overboard with ordering, but the price was set and the meat and vegetables kept disappearing, so he kept ordering. Everything was wrapped in a haze: the dim lighting of the restaurant, the heat and sizzle from the grill in front of them, even Futaba and Ryuji, fighting over the last piece of finished beef. Akira had been tending the grill for the most part, dutifully turning the pieces and adding more as they disappeared from the grill, but it wasn’t such engrossing work that he couldn’t keep an eye on everyone else. He noticed that Yusuke’s bowl was empty and grabbed it, loading it up with the chicken and vegetables that had just finished and handing it back to him before either of them could flush at the familiarity of his actions. He could feel Yusuke’s eyes on him as he tended the grill instead, filling the space he’d just cleared. He also resolutely did not meet Ann’s gaze, though he could hear her quiet laughter next to him as she handed him her bowl, which had been empty long before Yusuke’s.

____

 

After that, Akira took a more direct approach. He still tried to even out how much time he spent with each of his friends, but most days he ended up seeking out Yusuke at any point they were both free, to the point that he found himself without an answer when Morgana asked him if he’d actually memorized Yusuke’s studio and class schedule. He always suggested some sort of activity before inviting Yusuke to a meal - the arcade, a gallery, an exploration of any of the parks in Yusuke’s search for inspiration for his next work. The more time they spent together, the easier it was to get Yusuke to come along with him under the pretense of spending more time chatting and discussing Yusuke’s artwork rather than making sure Yusuke got enough to eat that day. Akira had even gotten better at finding ways to slip the bill, creative ways of taking care of it all while keeping Yusuke from getting suspicious. 

He was sure Yusuke knew something was going on, but he rarely said anything past the initial protest, and each time he got to watch Yusuke sit back from a meal, full and satisfied, Akira felt like another wrong in the world had been righted. After, content, they’d sit and talk, about their futures and what they’d do if the Phantom Thieves were no longer needed, taking up far more time than the owners of the cafe in Shibuya ever expected two people to sit there, even with free coffee refills.

Afterwards, he’d return to Leblanc, knowing there was a smile on his face by the way Sojiro nodded at him and the way he could all but hear the eye-roll in Morgana’s meow.

“Have a good date?” Morgana asked once, as he lept up onto the bed, circling more than usual atop Akira’s chest before settling.

Akira lifted a hand to rest it on Morgana, playfully ruffling his ears. “It wasn’t a date. Yusuke and I were just talking,” he protested. They had been; it was only the best way to make sure Yusuke was eating - he was worried for all of his friends, and this was only an extension of that. The fact that the warmth he felt watching Yusuke alternate between eating and explaining the concept of his latest art piece with grand gestures was getting to be the same feeling even when food wasn’t present had nothing to do with it.

Still, the thought dogged him, through the night and even into the morning. When he found himself absent-mindedly pulling curry ingredients out of the fridge in larger portions that he’d need for one person, inspiration struck.

He’d ask Yusuke on a date. Or, at least, he hedged as he felt Morgana’s eyes on him as he explained his idea, more of a date than they’d been on previously. He shot off a quick text asking Yusuke to meet him at Inokashira Park in a couple hours, and upon receiving an affirmative reply, set about the small kitchen humming, not even stopping when Sojiro raised one, then both eyebrows at him.

Riding the Chuo Line on the weekends was never easy, but it was especially difficult with an overly-full bag. Akira could admit to himself that he’d gone a _little_ overboard, but every time he’d looked around Leblanc to make sure he’d gotten everything, he would see something else he thought Yusuke would like, or saw snacks at the kiosk at the station, or saw a box of matcha truffles that would be good for desert.

The bag was heavy on his shoulder as he exited the gates and saw Yusuke standing there already, but felt that much lighter as he saw the smile Yusuke gave him as he turned and saw Akira. The smile morphed briefly into shock as he saw the bag and reached for it curiously.

Akira stepped back, grinning. “Not just yet. You’ll have to wait to see what’s inside.”

“I admit I was curious as to why you’d asked to meet here, but now I can hardly contain it, so we should begin whatever you have planned sooner rather than later.” Yusuke’s head was tilted as he considered both Akira and the bag, staring for a long moment before hefting his own bag on his shoulder, the ever-present sketchbook and supplies jostling audibly.

Akira flashed him a grin again, then, feeling bold, winked as they started towards the park. Reaching for Yusuke’s hand would likely be too much too soon at this point, Akira thought, even though it seemed like everyone else in the Phantom Thieves knew what was happening better than he did. Though if there was someone less equipped than he to recognize when they were in the middle of a budding relationship, he supposed it would be Yusuke.

Well, he hoped to clarify a lot of things today.

Ostensibly, the outing was to let Yusuke sketch, so Akira found a spot they could spread out the mat he’d brought and watch the people pass by. The park was beautiful; they were sitting near the lake, the sunlight dappling the surface of the water through the leaves the trees lining it, but Akira kept finding himself staring at the way Yusuke’s hands moved as he sketched instead. Deft, light strokes capturing the small swan boats on the water or people laughing as they passed, an outline he could fill in later. Akira thought about those hands on a sword, under his own as he showed Yusuke how to pick locks in a Palace, thought about what they’d feel like intertwined with his own, without gloves in the way.

The shadows had changed drastically by the time Akira heard the growling of Yusuke’s stomach and snapped out of the trance he’d fallen into watching the sketches take form. For his part, Yusuke didn’t seem to have noticed, still sketching without taking any sort of awareness, and Akira felt his heart give a pang at the thought of Yusuke constantly ignoring everything, including his own needs, for his art. He leaned in and tapped Yusuke gently on the shoulder. “I think it’s time for the rest of the surprise.”

He leaned back to pull the bag he’d brought between them and started unloading his morning’s work onto the mat they were sitting on. Boxes with curry and rice, various pastries from the cafe, a selection of onigiri, a thermos of coffee, and finally, the box of truffles appeared and were arranged between them. Akira resolutely did not look up to see the look on Yusuke’s face until it was all revealed. Then, more nonchalantly than the pounding of his heart would have it, spread his hands over the feast. “I figured if we were going to sit in the park all day, we should have a proper picnic. It’s mostly curry, but I promise it’s Sojiro’s original recipe.” No experimentation today, not when he wanted everything to go as right as he could get it.

Finally, he gathered the courage to look up to Yusuke’s face, trying to relax the grin that felt rigid on his own face. He couldn’t make out the expression there as Yusuke surveyed the food, but when he raised his eyes to meet Akira’s, Akira felt his heart skip a beat. Yeah, maybe Morgana had it right. As usual.

“You shouldn’t have…,” Yusuke began.

“I wanted to,” Akira cut in, resolute and firm. “I got up early and all I could think was how much I wanted to make curry for you myself instead of getting something from the convenience store.” He worked there, he knew what went into that curry. He didn’t mention that the idea for the picnic ad sprung from the desire to have Yusuke eat something he’d made, rather than their typical outings. That felt like it could wait.

Yusuke’s swallow looked hard and was almost audible, and while it did nothing to really calm the fluttering of his stomach, Akira was slightly comforted by the thought that he wasn’t the only one incredibly nervous at this point. Not when they felt like they were on the precipice of something big.

“Well then...we shouldn’t let all of your hard work go to waste.” Silently, Yusuke picked up a set of utensils and a box of curry rice and started eating, not meeting Akira’s eyes anymore. There wasn’t anything to do but follow in his lead and eat, and so Akira picked up the other box and dug in, silently pleased at how all the food had come out. The curry still wasn’t as good as Sojiro’s, but it was getting there, the complexity of the flavors balancing well with the more robust beans he’d chosen to brew their coffee with that morning. 

They ate in relative silence, the only sound small hums from Yusuke as he ate. Each note - pleased, he hoped - gave Akira a pulse of happiness that sat under his skin, warming him better than the sun above them. 

Finally, all that was left were the truffles, but as Akira reached for the box, he stopped. Near Yusuke’s mouth was a crumb from one of the pastries, and he started to reach out to brush it off. Before his arm was half-extended, though, he realized what he was doing and let his hand fall. “You’ve got…,” he gestured to his own mouth, mirroring the corner on Yusuke’s that he still hadn’t taken his gaze from. “Right there,” he finished, lamely.

It wasn’t until Yusuke had wiped the crumb away and sat back that Akira realized Yusuke would have had to have leaned in towards Akira at that moment to have the space to lean away to afterward. 

He dropped his eyes to the box of truffles briefly before bringing them back up to meet Yusuke’s gaze, which didn’t seem to have left his face. “They’re matcha; I thought they’d go well for a picnic, even if we were having coffee.”

“I do like matcha; it has a crisp bitterness that pairs well with sketching, especially outdoors.” Yusuke’s voice was hushed, more hushed than a picnic in the park called for, and Akira found himself leaning in to catch all of the words, the truffle still in his hands.

He had caught Yusuke’s gaze again, and neither of them seemed to be willing to break, everything else fading into the background. Slowly, as if in a trance, Akira brought the hand with the truffle up between them, but instead of bringing it to his own mouth, he guided it towards Yusuke’s, whose lips were open slightly as he stared at Akira.

The touch of the truffle against Yusuke’s mouth was soft, but Akira felt the impact as if it had been with his entire body. He kept his eyes on Yusuke, even as Yusuke’s eyes dropped to the truffle in front of him, giving Akira a perfect view of those long lashes fanned out over his cheekbones. Akira felt his breath catch in his throat as Yusuke leaned the tiniest bit further and opened his mouth, taking a bite of the truffle and brushing his lips against Akira’s thumb as they closed. Akira shuddered, spellbound, as Yusuke’s eyes lifted to meet his once more.

It shifted to confusion, however, when Yusuke sat bad and smiled. “You were right, the matcha truffle is perfect for a time and place like this,” he said, blithely, like Akira’s thumb wasn’t still tingling from the feel of Yusuke’s lips or like Akira’s arm wasn’t still outstretched with a half-eaten truffle between them.

It was too much.

“Yusuke, I think we’re dating,” Akira blurted out. He’d thought about it since Morgana teased him about it, thought about their outings and the way his pulse raced when he saw Yusuke’s half-smile and compared it to his outings with anyone else, with Ann or Ryuji or Mishima. He tried to imagine any of them eating out of his hand or imagine himself together with any of them like this, but it all came back to Yusuke. Yusuke, who was in front of him, staring at him like he’d grown two heads.

“Are...we?” He asked, slowly. “Are you sure?” Akira watched him swallow again, eyes flicking rapidly from Akira’s still-outstretched hand to his face to his lap and all over again, his face slowly growing red as what they’d done dawned on him. Akira had the brief thought that he should be nervous, but he could only find the behavior cute, and reached for one of Yusuke’s hands with his empty one.

“If we aren’t, I think we should be. Yusuke, I spend more time with you than anyone else, something I don’t want to change any time soon. I like spending time with you, watching you paint and sketch, hearing about your art and inspiration, and coming to places like this. You’ve had my back in more battles than I can count at this point, and I like having yours in return. Would you go out with me?” Akira stopped, heart in his throat, as he watched Yusuke’s face for any change in expression, but all he saw were Yusuke’s eyes before they dropped again, watching Akira’s hand covering his own.

“You all saved me,” Yusuke said, barely louder than a whisper. “You all saw what made me who I am today and the twisted nature of my artwork and past, and you still saved me and stayed by my side. You gave me a reason to fight, and I’ll never be able to repay that.” Akira started to cut in to respond, but stopped, as Yusuke’s eyes flicked back up to his, a smile across his lips. “I don’t know why you’d choose me, but I would be honored to date you,” he finished, reaching down for Akira’s hand, the one that held the softening remnants of the truffles and bringing it up to his mouth. He bent down to meet it, taking the rest of the chocolate, licking the traces of powder off of Akira’s fingers in a move that left Akira frozen in place.

At least, until Yusuke sat back again, a smile playing across his lips, but uncertainty creeping into his eyes the longer they sat there, just looking at each other. Then, all at once, Akira surged forward, kissing Yusuke, uncaring that they were in a park. The first few moments were stiff as they both realized what was happening, but as he relaxed into the kiss, Akira opened his mouth slightly, just enough to lick and trace the seam of Yusuke’s mouth, chasing the taste of the matcha truffle and finally breaking the kiss when he couldn’t hold back a smile any longer and the wide grin made the kiss awkward.

As they sat back, Akira let their empty hands intertwine, uncaring that they were still in the park in the middle of the day. With his friends and the Phantom Thieves, he’d found something to fight for, but with Yusuke by his side and the promise of the future, he had something to live for.


End file.
